


All Yours

by Trickster_Angel



Series: Innocence [2]
Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Angst, Lots of Angst, M/M, Re-Education, but re-education comes with angst, coming of age story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-16
Updated: 2013-11-16
Packaged: 2018-01-01 15:16:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1045447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trickster_Angel/pseuds/Trickster_Angel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"We could have had something Cecil. Always remember that."</p><p>It was a last ditch effort to try to get Cecil to remember what they had. Everything that Earl held to the most Cecil didn't even know existed.</p><p>Can be read as a stand alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All Yours

**Author's Note:**

> My inspiration for this fic came from nazi-nurse.tumblr.com. Her wtnv fanart is amazing and I suggest you check it out.
> 
> The beginning of this story is based off of a headcanon I have about Cecil and Steve Carlsburg. It's not necessary to read it but if you want to it's here: http://obvious-fandom-reference.tumblr.com/post/66065597070/okay-so-i-have-a-headcanon-about-steve-carlsburg

Earl found Cecil crying behind the gym. The football players were running in the distance and the scouts were meeting, but Earl needed to make sure he was okay. Cecil’s crush on Steve Carlsburg had been pretty obvious and even Earl might’ve been annoyed at the intensity at which Cecil pursued it. But still, he didn’t deserve what he got, rejected and humiliated in front of everyone.

“Leave me alone,” he said, purposely not looking at the Eagle Scout. But Earl ignored him and sat down next to him. He didn’t say anything for a long time but watched Cecil cry.

“You know, he isn’t worth it,” Earl said, “If he makes you cry like this then he isn’t worth it.”

“Fuck off,” Cecil said, still not looking at him. Earl left.

***

At lunch, Cecil sat alone, again. Some people from another table called him some nasty names but his expression remained blank. A lot of people had seen Steve’s rejection of him and, as usual, he received a lot of grief for it.

Earl’s friends were sitting on the other side of the cafeteria, waiting for him to join them. But he didn’t. He sat down right next to Cecil, not saying a word to him. Someone tried to mock him for his decision and he promptly told them where they could shove it. No one else said anything to them. They didn’t say anything to each other.

***

“Why are you being so nice to me?” Cecil asked him one day.

“Because everyone needs a friend,” Earl said. He had never really noticed Cecil before. He was just another person in a small school. They weren’t friends but Earl wasn’t one of the kids who harassed him constantly. There were enough of them.

He didn’t say it, but he felt sorry for Cecil. Only Steve had been nice to him before and now, well, even if he was nice again Cecil wouldn’t trust him. Having someone call you a freak to your face will do that.

Steve passed by, alone now, and Cecil glared at him. He walked past quickly and Earl almost felt bad for him too.

***

Earl spent weeks just being nice to Cecil. Saying hi in the hallways, inviting him to sit with his friends, cracking jokes to make him smile. He found out that Cecil had a nice laugh. He also found out that Cecil’s family had disappeared and he was living alone. Earl could hardly imagine that kind of loneliness. No one to see in school, no one to see at home. He wondered how long Cecil had been completely alone.

Eventually, Cecil started warming up to Earl. He would talk about his internship at Night Vale Community Radio and all the menial tasks he had to do. But he seemed to love every minute and gushed about Leonard Burton.  Earl was happy to listen to what Cecil had to say and their friendship formed pretty quickly.

In between school, Cecil’s internship and Earl’s Eagle Scout activities, the two spent time doing homework, talking, and eating slices of Big Rico’s pizza. And it stayed that way for years.

***

Puberty hit hard and fast. Two dorky looking teenagers became very attractive young men.

Their voices deepened and their skin cleared up. They both grew taller and both had their braces removed when they were sixteen. Girls started to notice them in the hallway. They smiled when Cecil walked near them but they never flirted with him. Earl was hit on constantly. Earl was eighteen and Cecil was seventeen when they realized how attractive the other was. Six months later, they had their first kiss.

They took a drive out into the desert to see the stars. It was a warm clear night, perfect for the activity they had planned. Once away from Night Vale, they sat in the back of Earl’s father’s pick up and just watched the stars. Cecil had taken astronomy at that point and was picking out constellations he recognized.

“And that one is Fenrir the wolf.”

“How?”

“Those are his head,” Cecil pointed out several stars that formed a crude circle, “And that’s his body,” the allotted stars formed an oddly shaped rectangle, “That’s his tail,” the stars formed a triangle, “And that’s Tyr’s hand,” he indicated at a few more stars that didn’t resemble a shape at all. Earl tried to picture the wolf based on Cecil’s description and almost laughed out loud. But he was smiling and so was Cecil.

“Tonight is perfect for this,” Earl commented and Cecil nodded.

“I’m glad we came,” Cecil replied. They met each other’s eyes for a second and it just happened. They sat only a few inches away. They leaned in and kissed. After several seconds they broke apart and looked at each other.

“I’ve been waiting a long time to do that,” Cecil said shyly. Earl was taken aback.

“Why didn’t you?”

He replied softly, “The last time I tried, it didn’t work out well.” It had been years since had Steve rejected him. Earl wondered if he would ever forgive him.

“You need to be braver. I know you were hurt but if you don’t say something, no one will find out. See how much time we wasted? We could’ve been together for a while now.”

“Are you mad?”

“No. Just happy we’re together now.” Cecil kissed him again and Earl couldn’t remember a better night.

***

Earl graduated from high school the following spring. He started taking classes at Night Vale Community College but he didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life. Cecil was lucky in that case. His fate was already determined so he didn’t even need to worry about it. When Earl complained about his classes, Cecil tried to encourage him but he didn’t really understand. His naïve answers comforted him nonetheless. Earl appreciated it.

He signed up to be a scout master for one of the Boy Scout troops. Between college and scouts, he didn’t have a lot of time to see Cecil. But those few times they saw each other were wonderful. Earl wondered if it was possible to be this happy.

For their one year anniversary, they went out to a nice restaurant and talked about everything. Cecil planned to tour Europe for a year. While Earl was shocked to hear the news, he was happy for him. Escaping Night Vale was quite an achievement so if they let him leave, especially when he was supposed to become the Voice of Night Vale, then Earl could only support him.

Cecil graduated in spring and left mid-summer. For an entire year, Earl wondered if he’d come home and everything would be the same. Cecil didn’t send letters and Earl didn’t write any so he just hoped.

During that year, Earl was asked out approximately five times. He never said yes.

When Cecil came back in June, they spent an entire week catching up and barely leaving each other’s sides. Even after his gap year, Cecil didn’t change. He was still as obsessive and devoted as ever. Earl wouldn’t have it any other way.

Cecil started college that year and they stayed much closer, working their schedules as to have the maximum amount of time together.  They would walk hand in hand in the hallways. Some of Earl’s female friends would approach them and tell them that they looked cute together.

Everything went pretty well for the next few years. Earl bounced between jobs but continued to be scout master of the boy scouts. Cecil finally landed Leonard Burton’s job as Voice of Night Vale. They spent the night getting drunk and ended up passing out in Cecil’s apartment. It was a celebration after all.

The real trouble started a few weeks after Cecil got the job. Earl got a phone call at eleven at night. When he picked up, all he could hear was Cecil crying.

Earl was at his apartment within fifteen minutes. The door was locked but Earl had a key and let himself in. Cecil sat on a couch, staring at something in his hands.

“Cecil?” Earl asked but was given a scarlet envelop in response. The letter stated that Cecil was to be reeducated in the morning.

“Why?” Earl asked but Cecil just started crying again. Earl sat down next to him and whispered comforting things, “It’ll be okay. I’m going to be here for you. I’ll never leave you.” He was thrown back to years ago, when they were young and Cecil had been rejected by someone who was undeserving of his love. He barely knew him then and now he never wanted so see someone so miserable again if he could help it. But he didn’t know what to do.

He kissed Cecil gently and tasted the salty tears.

When he broke the kiss, he said, “It’ll be okay.” But Cecil didn’t meet his eyes. He just stared downwards. Earl’s heart broke for him. He’d seen so many emotions on Cecil’s face but absolute misery wasn’t one of them.

Cecil leaned back in for a kiss but this one was different form Earl’s. The kiss was much more passionate. He could feel the amount of love in Cecil’s heart, his heart fluttered. Cecil leaned in closer, putting his hands on his back, clutching as if he was afraid to let go.

Cecil broke off and whispered, “We don’t have much time.”

“No,” Earl replied sadly, “we don’t,” and the kissing resumed. It wasn’t as if Earl hadn’t thought about this before. He’d thought of it a lot of times. But now it was happening so fast and he loved it. He’d wanted it for so long and now it was happening.

Then Cecil’s fingers were undoing the buttons of his shirt. Once the last button opened, Cecil moved to kissing Earl’s throat. Cecil was so good at this. How did he know these things, these amazing wonderful things? Cecil bit down lightly, not enough to hurt him but enough to create something that Earl would carry with him tomorrow. And it all felt so good. He wanted this, wanted to go further, defy everything and just do it because they have one last chance, one last night, and this is it so they’re doing it!

They didn’t even make it to the bedroom; they fucked on the couch.  They fell asleep together, arms wrapped around each other, too afraid for when they’d have to wake up and separate.

***

Earl watched as the Sheriff’s Secret Police nearly ransacked his house. He’d already surrendered every photograph ever taken of him and Cecil as well as every letter they’d written and his cell phone so they could delete all texts and calls. For good measure, they deleted his number too. After a very clear warning that Cecil would completely forget their relationship and Earl should never mention it again, they left.

Two days after Cecil had left for reeducation, the only reminders Earl had of their relationship were the love bites that remained on his neck. And even they faded after a few days.

Six days after Cecil was taken, Earl realized that he still had the key to Cecil’s apartment. Worried that the Secret Police would find out, Earl went back to his apartment. He let himself in quietly and closed the door with the same careful attentiveness. Turning around, he was shocked to find out he wasn’t alone.

He didn’t know how long reeducation took but he’d heard it was closer to a week and a half than six days. But Cecil was there, asleep on the couch, fully clothed and even with his shoes on, as if he had been too tired to make it to the bedroom.

Earl just watched him, watched his chest rise slowly and fall at a similar rate. He observed the way Cecil’s blond hair was sprawled out messily. A flashback to not even a week ago, his hands in Cecil’s hair. He wanted to gently kiss his soft lips, as if Cecil were the princess in some fairy tale and Earl the prince come to save him from eternal sleep. How lucky he was, that he could sleep, blissfully ignorant to how much Earl hurt. Completely unaware of what they had shared, how much they loved each other that Earl had given everything and he had given everything and they were _in love_ , for fuck’s sake how could they do this to them, take away the one person he loved the most?

It was worse than death because Cecil still lived. But he was not Earl’s Cecil. He wasn’t the same person who kissed him under the stars in the back of an old pick-up truck. He wasn’t the one who Earl waited for. He wasn’t the one who knew all his secrets and could complete his sentences and kissed him with such passion. That Cecil was dead.  The man on the couch was a living, breathing reminder of all that Earl had and all that he lost. And he’d never be able to have again.

He left the key on the coffee table, taking one last look at Cecil, as if trying to memorize him, before leaving for good.

He managed to wait until he was home before he broke.

***

“And I fell in love instantly.” The scoutmaster’s blood froze. It had been years since he’d lost Cecil but for some reason, it still hurt. Earl had seen the scientist in question and while he definitely was handsome, Cecil gave him too much credit. But that was Cecil, obsessive and devoted. That was something the City Council couldn’t take away from him.

***

He was proud of Barton and Franklin. He really was. But he didn’t know what to expect. No scout had ever reached the rank of eternal scout before. So he was terrified too. Cecil nodded as he spoke, as if affirming the fact that these feeling were normal. Earl could hardly bare to sit in the same room with the man who meant everything to him. It was almost too much. His silence was killing him.

Gently resting a hand on Cecil’s arm, he said sadly, “We could have had something Cecil. Always remember that.”

***

It takes someone special to be able to break the cycle of love, reeducation, and pain. Someone unafraid of Night Vale’s threats. Someone who won’t back down because of fear. Someone clever enough to find a way to make the forgotten memories come back to life. Someone willing to start over completely, because he knows of a life outside of Night Vale and is willing to share it.

Someone who was so desperately in love, he couldn’t bear the thought of losing him.  Someone who would take him in any form, and make him fall in love again. That takes someone truly remarkable. 

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Eclipse (All Yours) by Metric.


End file.
